Badger Photography Workshop

Badger Photography Workshop – Derbyshire, Peak District NP.

Badgers are without a doubt one of our most popular and best loved native British animals. Their iconic stripy faces have featured in fairytales and folklore throughout the centuries. Despite this few people have seen, let alone photographed wild badgers as they are primarily nocturnal and incredibly shy. This badger photography workshop offers a rare and unique opportunity to get up close and personal with these elusive and stunning mammals as they emerge from their sett in the stunning countryside of the Peak District National Park. 

About Badgers

Badgers are largely nocturnal and extremely shy but remain one of the UK’s favourite mammals. Highly sociable creatures, they live together in large underground setts, typically with many entrances. Badgers are voracious diggers and are constantly expanding their setts, some have even been known to have over 300m of tunnels below the surface!

You can find an extensive gallery of my badger images here.

Badger cub Portrait. Derbyshire, Peak District NP. As cubs get older they tend to become more nocturnal but in late Spring and early Summer they’re still typically the first to emerge from the sett. This is often around 6-7pm which is ideal for photography as there’s still plenty of sunlight! Despite being incredibly shy and elusive, badgers are one of my favourite British species to photograph. Badger cub having a good scratch at the sett. Derbyshire, Peak District NP. As cubs get older they tend to become more nocturnal but in late Spring and early Summer they're still typically the first to emerge from the sett. This is often around 6-7pm which is ideal for photography as there's still plenty of sunlight! Despite being incredibly shy and elusive, badgers are one of my favourite British species to photograph. Adult badger in flowering purple heather at sunset. Derbyshire, Peak District National Park.Badger yearling II. Derbyshire, Peak District National Park. This young badger always emerges first from the sett. He very quickly got used to my presence and the sound of the camera shutter. Eventually he became so confident he didn't react at all and continued to forage with his nose firmly pressed to the ground. No matter how much time I spend with badgers it's always an amazing experience and a real treat to have the trust of these elusive and shy animals. Moorland Badger. An adult badger stands at an entrance to the sett in open heather Moorland,Derbyshire, Peak District NP. Despite being incredibly shy and elusive, badgers are one of my favourite British species to photograph. Badger yearling. Derbyshire, Peak District National Park. This young badger always emerges first from the sett. He very quickly got used to my presence and the sound of the camera shutter. Eventually he became so confident he didn't react at all and continued to forage with his nose firmly pressed to the ground. No matter how much time I spend with badgers it's always an amazing experience and a real treat to have the trust of these elusive and shy animals. Emerging Badger. Adult badger emerging from the sett after heavy rainfall. Derbyshire, Peak District NP. Despite being incredibly shy and elusive, badgers are one of my favourite British species to photograph. 

Fitness difficulty:

Easy

A short walk across uneven boggy ground and through dense vegetation.

Availability:

May-August

January

December

This workshop is timed to offer the best chance of seeing the badgers (and their cubs!) during the daylight hours.

Please enquire about availability outside these months.

Pricing

4

4 hours // £60 deposit

£155

1-2-1 Workshop

£120

1-2 Workshop (per participant)

Reduced or extended workshops are available on request.

This workshop can be extended to a full day workshop when combined with another subject, please contact me to discuss options.

Adult Badger portrait. Badger photography workshop, Peak District National Park
A young badger cub peering out of the long grass in a hay field. Rover, a badger cub at one of the setts I visit regularly. Whilst the other cubs don't venture far from the sett, Rover is much more confident and is usually out foraging over 1000m away, hence the name! Derbyshire, Peak District National Park.

What do my guests think?

"

I joined Francis on a badger workshop in the Peak District. Before heading over to the sett we spent some time discussing the best settings to use, and Francis gave me a brief overview of exposure compensation and metering, two settings I’ve tended to leave well alone in the past! He also set my camera so I could use Back Button Focus, which I can’t believe I haven’t been using all this time for wildlife and insect photography – it’s made such a difference being able to focus that bit faster. Francis is incredibly friendly and approachable, and is immensely knowledgeable both about photography and wildlife in general. It’s clear that the wellbeing of the wildlife is of utmost importance to him, and we also discussed in detail the fieldcraft needed in order not to disturb the badgers as they went about their evening. On arrival at the Sett we’d only just got settled down when the first badger arrived – it snuffled around quite happily until a group of curious cows wandered over. Once they’d gone, the badger kept reappearing until as dusk fell, we were treated to two cubs arriving – the sight of a curious badger-cub nose poking out of the undergrowth right next to us is one I’ll never forget! Having never seen a live badger before, to spend the evening watching photographing them is a real treat, and I’ve come away with some images I’m really pleased with. I’ll definitely be attending more workshops with Francis! Thanks again, it was a fab evening!”

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What can I expect?

As an award-winning professional photographer with extensive local knowledge, I run all of my photography workshops personally. My aim is simple; to inspire and encourage you to take your photography to the next level whilst taking in some of the finest wildlife and scenery the UK has to offer. 

Throughout the evening you will have the opportunity to capture a range of images, from portraits to action shots and behavioural photographs. My badger photography workshops will show you how to capture a stunning portfolio of images of these stunning and elusive mammals. 

The welfare of the subject is of utmost importance in all my wildlife photography workshops. I will teach you the essential fieldcraft skills required to get close and capture stunning images without causing stress or disturbance. 

Recommended equipment

  • DSLR, mirrorless or bridge camera
  • A 300mm+ lens (ideally f/2.8-5.6) or equivalent on crop/bridge camera. If your lens is slower than this e.g f/6.3+ you will still be able to capture some fantastic images, however they will be slightly grainier due to the higher ISO.

Additional information

  • Camouflage is not essential for this workshop, however neutral colours – browns and greens are advisable.
  • Due to the nature of the location we may be crossing boggy ground and dense vegetation to access the badgers. Waterproof walking boots are essential and waterproof clothing is strongly recommended. 

Please visit the FAQ’s section for more information on what to bring.

 

Badger Photography Workshop
Digging Badger Cub. Derbyshire, Peak District NP. As cubs get older they tend to become more nocturnal but in late Spring and early Summer they’re still typically the first to emerge from the sett. This is often around 6-7pm which is ideal for photography as there’s still plenty of sunlight! Despite being incredibly shy and elusive, badgers are one of my favourite British species to photograph. 

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